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4 (Washington) state residents to look for peace on Iraq mission

Posted on 01/17/2003 12:09:40 AM PST by lewislynn

4 state residents to look for peace on Iraq mission

By Sarah Anne Wright Seattle Times staff reporter

Four Washington residents, one from Seattle, are heading to Iraq on a mission of peace.

The sponsor, Voices in the Wilderness, or Voices, as the group calls itself, opposes economic sanctions it says harm ordinary Iraqis. It has sent about 50 peace-delegate groups to Iraq since 1996.

Its mission, it says, is to put a human face — one other than Saddam Hussein's — on Iraq.

But as the threat of war against Iraq looms, this latest delegation faces a potentially more dangerous situation: putting U.S. citizens inside a war zone where they might be used as human shields.

Peace delegates said they go only as witnesses.

"Is the purpose here to be human shields in some way? The answer is no," said participant David Berrian, of Seattle. "We want to personalize this."

Berrian has been active for years with the Buddhist Peace Fellowship but said he felt a need to do more than march and participate in vigils in opposition of war.

"If you had asked me a month ago, 'Do you think you would be interested in traveling to Iraq?' I would have given you an intellectual response: 'Thanks, but no thanks,' " said Berrian.

But when two Buddhist Peace Fellowship colleagues had to back out due to health reasons, he reconsidered.

"I came to realize, this is my time," said Berrian.

Currently, the only Americans allowed in Iraq are journalists or people working for the United Nations or the U.S. government.

"We have had a travel warning since 1990," said U.S. Consular Affairs spokeswoman Kelly Shannon. "We certainly continue to urge Americans not to travel to Iraq."

To visit Iraq without special permission from the State Department is in violation of U.S. law and could result in fines or imprisonment.

Voices, fined $20,000 last year, disregards the regulations. It paid its fines in Iraqi , priced at pre-Gulf War values.

The group has seen a boom in would-be peace delegates lately. About 300 people applied recently to go to Iraq.

Each applicant is interviewed and warned of the potential dangers of the trip.

"We are looking for people who aren't new to the field of peace work," said Stephanie Schaudel, Voices co-coordinator.

Most applicants, said Schaudel, are in their 50s, with strong ties to their communities and a history of activism. They also have traveled internationally.

Berrian has six children and nine grandchildren. He works for the city of Seattle as a contract administrator and has traveled to Central America and Africa. He said his wife, currently in South Africa, supports his trip.

Berrian said he is gathering questions from Americans to ask Iraqis. Children are curious about what Iraqis eat, where they get pizza and whether they have pets, he said.

In addition to Berrian, 57, other Washington delegates include Anna Bachmann, 40, of Port Townsend; Dana Visalli, 54, of Twisp, Okanogan County; and Bettejo Passalaqua, 41, of Omak, Okanogan County.

The state contingent leaves in mid-January for a two-week stay. It will fly first to Amman, Jordan, obtain Iraqi visas and then drive 12 to 15 hours to Baghdad.

Sarah Anne Wright: swright@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2752


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: oldhippies; whackjobs

1 posted on 01/17/2003 12:09:40 AM PST by lewislynn
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2 posted on 01/17/2003 12:10:44 AM PST by Support Free Republic (Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: lewislynn
I wonder if they wasted their cash on return-trip tickets?
4 posted on 01/17/2003 12:15:12 AM PST by Hank Rearden (Bringing you grumpy bon mots since early '99.)
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To: lewislynn
State Department needs to declare, that for the safety of American nationals, their State Department issued US passports are no longer valid for travel to Iraq. Hold them to the Cuba rules, i.e. if caught, they can get a prison term or a $10,000 fine.

This will cut out some of these "Jane Fonda" missions.

5 posted on 01/17/2003 6:00:01 AM PST by AmericanInTokyo (We're liable to get a reputation as a nation willing to oppose considerably weaker nations, only....)
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To: lewislynn
Children are curious about what Iraqis eat, where they get pizza and whether they have pets, he said.

Yep, I'm sure that's what's on ALL government educated childrens minds.

I THINK I'M GOING TO THROW UP NOW !!


6 posted on 01/17/2003 6:01:17 AM PST by unixfox
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To: lewislynn
Who bankrolls these buffoons? Some rich jerk off?
7 posted on 01/17/2003 6:01:54 AM PST by dennisw (http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/weblog.php)
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To: AmericanInTokyo
Nah. Let them go. And hope they never return, or return in body bags. Good riddance to liberal rubbish.
8 posted on 01/17/2003 6:11:51 AM PST by BullDog108 (Kick their @$$ and take their gas!)
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To: BullDog108
Yeah, but they may have a conservative brother or sister or mom somewhere that we don't want to bring to tears.

I say, lock up their asses for treason and disrespect of the USA for a few years.

9 posted on 01/17/2003 6:44:35 AM PST by AmericanInTokyo (We're liable to get a reputation as a nation willing to oppose considerably weaker nations, only....)
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To: lewislynn
Look for peace? I'm sure it's buried in that mound outside the nuke scientists' house.
10 posted on 01/17/2003 6:45:57 AM PST by rintense (Go Get 'Em, Dubya!)
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To: unixfox
Children are curious about what Iraqis eat, where they get pizza and whether they have pets, he said.

They could simply call Sean Penn. I am sure he asked those burning questions during his visit.

11 posted on 01/17/2003 7:08:51 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot
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Support President Bush and our Military!

Sign the Petition: Citizens Against Celebrity Pundits

12 posted on 01/17/2003 8:23:30 AM PST by God'sgrrl
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To: lewislynn
I wish that, once we clean Iraq out, some of the poor miserable people there who will be freed would be given some major air time to say, "we couldn't wait for America to do something about this S.O.B. Hussein, and we really are glad that America rescued us in spite of these #*&*^$%
idiot peaceniks!".
13 posted on 01/17/2003 10:24:22 AM PST by cmak9
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